General leading Guam deployment says U.S. could take out North Korean missile 'fairly quickly'

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, or THAAD, shown during a test at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai in Hawaii, is being deployed to Guam. (Contributed photo/U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command)

"We don't know the duration of the deployment, but what we
do know is that they are ready," Pittard said in an interview with American
Forces Press Service.

"They are trained,
they are ready, and they will do the mission," Pittard said.

The Pentagon announced it was deploying the THAAD earlier
this week as a "precautionary move to strengthen the regional defense posture
against the North Korean regional ballistic missile threat." It will also
protect the citizens in the U.S. territory of Guam, as well as the forces
stationed there.

The THAAD is a land-based missile defense system that
includes a truck-mounted launcher, a complement of interceptor missiles and an
AN/TPY-2 tracking radar and integrated fire control system. It is produced by
Lockheed Martin.

Pittard said the THAAD will be used with other missile
defense systems already in the region to provide multi-tiered protection. Aegis
cruisers and other air defense systems will provide lower-level coverage, with
Patriots and other systems offering protection at higher altitudes.

The THAAD system will operate at the next level, Pittard
said, and is capable of shooting down short, medium and intermediate range
ballistic missiles using a "hit-to-kill" approach, which relies on the kinetic
energy of the impact to destroy the incoming missile.

The layered approach would allow the U.S. to take out a
North Korea rocket shortly after it is fired, Pittard said.

"We are very confident of that," he said.

The THAAD deployment is expected to take place in the coming
weeks, according to the Pentagon. It's the latest show of strength by the U.S.
towards the increasingly hostile North Korean government.

"The United States
continues to urge the North Korean leadership to cease provocative threats and choose
the path of peace by complying with its international obligations. The United
States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations, and stands
ready to defend U.S. territory, allies and national interests," said in a
release announcing the THAAD deployment.